Sulfur is employed in a number of industrial processes such as sulfuric acid production and the vulcanization of rubber. Most sulfur is obtained from deposits buried underground by a variety of mining techniques. One method is the Frasch process where large quantities of superheated hot water, steam and compressed air are used to recover elemental sulfur through wells drilled into buried deposits of native sulfur. The water is heated and pumped down bore holes and forced into sulfur deposits. The elemental sulfur melts and then is forced to the surface by the water pressure and compressed air where it is recovered.
The sulfur can exist as sulfides and polysulfides as well as organic sulfur compounds. At the high temperatures associated with the Frasch process, corrosive waters containing sulfides and polysulfides exist. These sulfur-bearing waters can be very corrosive towards iron and iron-based metals present in the mining operation. The subsequent corrosion of the pipes, valves and conduits composed of iron and iron-based metals can become costly due to replacement parts and downtime during the mining operation.